Kent City had six wrestlers place in the top four at the regional, tied for second-most of any team, led by Konner Wolter, ranked sixth in the state in Division 4 at 215 pounds according to the latest michigangrappler.com poll.

Wolter beat Tyler Bylsma of Grandville Calvin Christian, ranked 10th in Division 4, in a tight 3-2 decision to pick up the 150th win of his career and advance to the state final as Kent City's lone regional champion.

"Konner's wrestled Bylsma five times this season, and each time it's come down to one or two points, but Konner's been able to win every time," Kent City coach Chad Kik said. "He picked up his first regional title today with a win in another great match between the two, and he's been on a roll for us lately."

Kent City's Shane Rodenburg, ranked second in Division 4 at 171, finished second at the regional to Leo Mora of Bronson by disqualification to qualify for the state meet as well.

"Shane got called for stalling a couple of times in the final match, and just got a little frustrated," Kik said. "It wasn't a great way for him to end his day, but hopefully he'll get refocused and bounce back for the team state meet coming up."

Brendon Rodenburg (135) and KJ Herremans (152) also qualified with third-place finishes for Kent City, and Jayson Ellicott (140) and Tom DeVos (285) finished fourth to nab the final qualifying spots in their weight classes for Kent City.

"All four of those guys are first-time qualifiers for us," Kik said. "It's a great accomplishment for us to get six into the finals and a real sign of where are program is at right now."

Bylsma, a senior, was Calvin Christian's lone state-meet qualifier with his second-place finish at 215. It's Bylsma's first trip to the state finals after missing all of last season with a broken hand.

"It definitely focused him in a way that went above and beyond where he already was," Calvin Christian coach Mark Augustyn said. "Since the injury he's been coming to practice early, staying late, driving all over the state to find tough guys in his weight class to practice against. That dedication has got him here."

By advancing to the state final, Bylsma also becomes the first Calvin Christian wrestler to be named to the academic all-state team as an individual.

"He's a great kid, on and off the mat," Augustyn said. "He sets an example for our team in all areas. It's great to see him finally get to the state finals and for all his hard work to pay off."

All top four finishers at the individual regional will compete in the Division 4 state final at the Palace of Auburn Hills, beginning Feb. 28th.

Muskegon

Sawyer Smith of Montague, ranked second in Division 4 at 152 pounds, beat Brody Conner of Lawton, ranked fifth at 152, in a tight 5-2 decision to advance to the individual state meet as regional champion.

"Sawyer looked great today," Montague coach Chris Pineda said. "He didn't coast in any match, he had his eyes on the prize. He was determined to take first here all week, and his work paid off today."

Smith took an early lead in his final match against Conner with a takedown and a near-fall in the first period, and was able to control the match the rest of the way, Pineda said.

"Sawyer was in a nice double, arched up, put Conner down on his back and got the near-fall," Pineda said. "The next four minutes they went back and forth, but Sawyer played it safe and got the win."

The championship means that Smith is returning to the individual state final at the Palace of Auburn Hills, starting on Feb. 28th.

"Sawyer finished fourth in the state last year, and he came back with the goal of winning it all this year," Pineda said. "He's been working hard at getting better, and you can see how bad he wants it."

Also advancing to the state final was Hayden Cregg of Holton, ranked sixth in Division 4 at 135, who took second to punch his ticket, falling to fifth-ranked Ryan Hunt of Martin.

In order to make the final, Cregg had to overcome a battle with impetigo, a skin disease that held him out of practice for the last week.

After missing the regional last year with an injury, though, nothing was going to stop Cregg from wrestling today, Holton coach Kevin Gue said.

"He's one of our hardest workers, and a great kid," Gue said. "After missing out last year, he was on a mission to make the state final, and nothing was going to stop him. It's great to see him accomplish his goal."